In this episode of theUpStreamLife we bring you a series that defines the veteran venture capitalist, Venk Krishnan. In the past, Venk, has backed the likes of MuSigma, Daily Ninja, Acko, Pocket Aces, Third Wave Coffee & Geist.

NuVentures is now renewing its India strategy, the startups that the fund will bet on will have to have a global thesis with their technology. Interestingly, the fund also has a consumer play.

The fund's new investments include Pivot Robots (www.pivotrobots.com) , Raga AI (www.raga.ai) , Mantys (www.mantys.io) and Zigment (www.zigment.ai), which define NuVentures and its current thesis. In the current thesis startups will have access to customers, in the USA, with NuVentures sister firm NuWare, an IT services company with 40 customers in Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) industry and in healthcare.

Venk and the fund believe in backing founders that are mature and have industry experience. Just as curve ball Venk also invests in direct to consumer businesses such as Adukale (www.adukale.com) and Foxtale (www.foxtale.in).

Venk Krishnan breaks down the new approach with Vishal Krishna in the first episode of NuVenture's new podcast series NuPod. Enjoy the podcast.

00:00 - Introduction to NuPod

00:46 - Setting the context to NuVentures new thesis.

01:03 - A quick history of NuVentures

01:59 - A coffee chain that started this love for a focus on India.

03:22 - Being a sector agnostic fund, but with a focus on AI & SaaS.

04:42 - The dual play of NuVentures with IT services firm NuWare

07:07 - An influencer who enables Saas & AI startups with customers

09:07 - Startups in the NuVentures current thesis.

14:47 - Validating startup ideas with customers

16:18 - Startup founders who love this model of working with NuWare's customers

27:26 - Helping startups in its GTM and working with mature founders

34:30 - Looking at problems from the customer's pain point

39:27 - Being in the box office business of D2C (direct-to-customer)

42:47 - The Indian consumption story

43:47 - Trends of tech and the surge of AI

45:49 - Startup founders must be closer to the customer in the USA

48:53 - The status of the VC ecosystem in India. 

52:23 - The basis of advice and what weight it carries.

55:00 - Venk's inspirations

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In this episode I talk with Rahul Johar who has literally scaled brands in India across several retail formats. What is true is that Indian e-commerce brands are now moving offline and they need all the nurturing to understand how distribution works. Distribution is hard, it eats into margins and is a question of having the right eye-balls at retail outlet. This is where Oxbow Brands steps in. 

00:00 - Introduction
01:36 - What is Oxbow and what does it intend to do?
03:06 - 70 years of business legacy
09:00 - The offline experience and why brands need it
12:59 - Why offline distribution derisks your business
20:16 - The fun of modern shopping
23:40 - The business of Oxbow and nurturing brands
31:05 - The excitement of being a business in India.
34:10 - Working with distributors
36:40 - Why tech is necessary to blend with distribution and experience.
40:20 - Retailers supporting smaller brands is important
44:56 - Expansion plans
46:00 - Rahul's inspiration

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In this episode we explore the many facets of Shashi Kumar and his wonderful journey to make farming viable. He is an engineer who stepped into the world of business without a business plan and he tried blending
ancient and modern techniques that could save the soil, and bring money to the farmer by organising the supply chain with the food value chain. Here is his story.

00:00 - Introduction to why farming is life
01:30 - Why Shashi came back to farming.
10:00 - Why is farming difficult in India, what should change.
17:30 - Making farming viable
27:15 - People who came back to farming.
33:40 - Agro ecology being critical.
38:48 - Surviving nine years of hardship before the business took off.
43:40 - The business model that farming needs.
48:38 - Building systems of transparency.
53:24 - Working with the community that loves farming.
57:00 - Inspired by family, father and Dr G N S Reddy.

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In this episode we speak with Srividya, the founder of Avaali. Her company reduces procurement cycle times using digital practices. She talks about how her company has scaled over the years and how digital services are so important for companies going through transformation into the era of generative-AI.

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In this episode of theUpStreamLife.com we talk about how an enterprise grade CRM can be built from India. LeadSquared as you all know is well known for its story of going from India to the world. The founders are IT professionals who sold that business before delving into building a product for India. As opportunity would have it, they have scaled to the USA and are betting big on Indian talent. Its COO and co-founder Prashant Singh tells a story of why it's the era for Indian technology businesses.

00:45 - The meaning of LeadSquared.
07:35 - The first customer and the stakeholder you have to address.
11:00 - Why USA will remain a big business opportunity in years to come.
17:00 - Serving Indian businesses.
23:26 - Building without capital before signing VCs.
29:40 - Traditional businesses going into the digital era.
35:00 - Focusing on the mid-market customer.
42:10 - Building an experience with technology.
47:00 - Using AI and what should India do to lead the #AI story.
50:45 - Lessons of building a product company versus IT services.
53:00 - Prashant's inspirations.

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In this interview we talk to Deepthi Muthuraman who is a senior brand manager at Ascendion, a company that transforms businesses in the digital age. She paints a wonderful story of how Ascendion was able to scale up fast and win clients. She talks about the impact of Generative AI and why a services businesses that is AI led can transform several businesses.

00:00 - Introduction.
01:10 - The story of Ascendion and its AI play.
16:45 - The journey of clients and the transformative aspects of Gen AI
18:20 - The services of Ascendion.
26:42 - Deepthi's leadership journey.

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In this episode with Pavan Sharma, partner at BCL India, a compliance and tax advisory firm, we compare why the #Budget2024 has to be looked at along with the Economic Survey of India. The economic survey showcases the challenges of India with AI, the end of globalisation and menace of climate change. The first thirty minutes we analyse the survey and then we look at the budget and the fiscal position of India.

Part 1: Economic Survey and why its important to understand the budget

00:00 - Introduction to Budget2024 and the Economic Survey.
04:10 - The economic survey is the key for the Budget2024
05:55 - Why the economists are pessimistic for business while growth has been great.
07:20 - End of globalisation and a new world order
10:18 - AI, climate change, inflation, food and the impact on bottom of the pyramid.
14:53 - Why retail investments have grown and why food inflation can slow new investments. 
18:30 - Laws in India still don't support make-in-India.
19:54 - Unemployment is rising and the finance minister addresses this.
21:56 - The tripartite compact: job creation is for the private sector.
24:30 - Taxation and revenue shares with Private, Government and Public sectors.
26:10 - Why AI is not important for the economic survey - energy and job losses
27:45 - Can the farm sector save the county - stay back in villages and become farm-preneurs.
30:25 - Getting back with China.
31:38 - The impact of "toxic" smartphones

Part 2 - Budget 2024

33:19 - The fiscal position of the nation.
34:50 - Individual tax contribution is high and 800 million Indians live on subsidy.
40:10 - The four new castes in India and the nine sub-themes that defines the new India.
41:48 - Direct benefit transfers to first time formal workers.
43:35 -Benefits to SMEs, individual entrepreneurs and larger companies.
46:20 - Taxes, capital gains 
48:57 - The impact on real estate.
51:42 - Buyback taxation and its impact on startups.

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In this episode we talk to Mitesh Shah, co-founder of Inflection Point Ventures (IPV), about how investing is shaping up in the Indian startup ecosystem in 2024, and in the context of the next 18-months.

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In this episode I talk with India's brain-enhancer Kumaar Bagrodia who is also the founder of Neuroleap and Arkni PhotoBioLife. Many of you listening to or watching this podcast would have pondered over the question "how does one punch above your weight mentally?" 

As science proves it, you need to understand the subconscious mind before you want to further enhance your potential. Making this a lifelong endeavour is Kumaar who believes in enhancing human potential with the help of applied neuroscience. 

Neuroscience studies the brain, the nervous system and its impact on behavior and cognitive functions. It strives for a deeper understanding of how the brain’s 100 billion nerve cells are born, grow, and connect. 

When you take the services of Neuroleap, to enhance the brain, the user will not be subject to medication, it is non-invasive and there is no use of AI. In this fascinating conversation Kumaar paints the story of how his startups NeuroLeap (https://www.neuroleap.science) and Arkni PhotoBioLife (https://www.arkniphotobio.life) are helping people lead better lives by enabling them to unlock the potential of their brain.

00:00 - Introduction.
03:05 - Understanding the subconscious mind, the emotional abilities
10:00 - Recognising the patterns of the brain, measuring them.
17:48 - Human intelligence, resolving problems related to stress and pressure, how Neuroleap works and how it helps individuals.
30:00 - Nobody asks you to take charge of your consciousness, how do you fix things at the subconscious level.
35:05 - The outcomes with Neuroleap.
41:52 - Working with clients who have addictions.
44:17 - COVID-19 has impacted the brain and the hungry ghosts in the mind.
53:49 - The role of Arkni PhotoBioLife.
01:09:10 - Helping the individual understand themselves.
01:19:00 - Scaling the business.

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In this episode of theUpStreamLife.com we will talk with Sandeep Hodkasia the founder of AppSecure.Security tells us about how modern brands can secure themselves at very low cost and how Corporations can use white-hats to build new age security.

00:00 - Introduction.
01:30 - Sandeep's love for security.
06:00 - AppSecure's view of security in modern corporations.
10:24 - Working with large customers.
16:39 - Winning businesses as a startup in security.
23:40 - Even the person writing code is responsible for security.
29:30 - The blackhats versus whitehats: where do the whitehats stand
35:48 - The research and AI in security.
41:32 - Corporations should support whitehats.

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